Windsor, Ontario – Last Wednesday, July 24 Canadian and American officials and workers celebrated the latest achievement in the ongoing construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. With the work to connect the bridge deck between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan now complete, the Gordie Howe International Bridge became an official border crossing.
The Honorable Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities presided over the international ceremony. Dignitaries joining Minister Fraser to mark this historic accomplishment included: U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David Cohen; U.S. Federal Highway Administrator, Shailen Bhatt, the State of Michigan Department of Transportation Director, Bradley Wieferich; the Mayor of Windsor; senior officials from the Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection; local elected officials; and project team members.
Since June 14, 2024, when the now iconic photograph was taken of a Canadian ironworker and an American ironworker shaking hands atop a beam 46 m/150 ft above the Detroit River, workers have completed the overall connection process by installing the remaining steel beams and precast concrete panels.
The celebration not only recognized this phase of bridge construction and its new designation, but also served to acknowledge the over 20 years of collaboration, cooperation and commitment exercised by the various project partners to advance the Gordie Howe International Bridge to its current state.
Measuring just over a half mile, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and tenth longest in the world. It is the first new crossing to connect Ontario and Michigan in more than 60 years and will contribute to economic growth by strengthening the fluidity and resiliency at the Windsor-Detroit trade corridor, seamlessly connecting North America.
Approximately one year of work remains to complete the bridge construction as the focus shifts from the deck to the bridge surface. The next phases of construction on the bridge deck include installation of electrical lighting and instrumentation systems, drainage systems that funnel stormwater away from the bridge into underground drainage structures on either side of the bridge, fire suppression systems, fine-tune re-stressing of stay cables, road surface work, safety and emergency features and perhaps most interesting of all, the positioning of a falcon nesting box below the bridge deck with a remote-operated camera and an access platform to facilitate the nesting of falcons.
In addition to the bridge, progress at the Canadian and US Ports of Entry continues with all buildings and structures at advanced construction stages. Work is also advancing on the Michigan Interchange with construction of the pedestrian bridges and ramps connecting I-75 in Detroit to the US Port of Entry, creating, for the first time, a direct highway-to-highway link to Highway 401 in Windsor.
